Jury needed less than an hour to convict Matthew Herron

JACKSBORO, TN. (WLAF)- A Sovereign Citizen who represented himself at trial will now go to prison.

Matthew Herron was charged with reckless endangerment and being a felon in possession of a weapon last year.

He stood accused of firing a gun at a Caryville gas station in Feb. 2023. At the time of the incident, the station was open, and customers were in the parking lot.

Last week, Herron was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his crimes.

It took two trials to convict him.

The week of May 6 Herron had his first trial in the matter.

Following Herron’s self- representation and constant objections littered with non-applicable legal terms, the jury was left unable to reach a verdict. They deliberated for over a day before announcing the deadlock.

On May 15, a different jury needed less than an hour to convict Herron on both charges.

Throughout the trials, Herron was provided with an attorney, Andrew Crawford, to assist him in the proceedings. At times, Crawford spoke up but for the most part, Herron acted as his own lead counsel.

A disheveled Herron often referred to himself in the third person and accused witnesses of “committing perjury” as they testified.

The first trial kicked off with Herron trying to place Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Zach Walden and Assistant District Attorney General Ashley Claiborne under arrest.

From there, Herron continued to attempt to exercise rights he felt entitled to under his Sovereign Citizen status.

When the investigating officer, Jacob Fox of the Caryville Police Department was testifying as to the events on the night of the shooting, Herron grew agitated. This led to Herron to Mirandize the officer while he was still on the stand. He then disputed photos as they were entered into evidence and attempted to challenge the security of the crime scene. Herron next accused Fox of “falsifying documents.”

When Assistant District Attorney General Andi Bridges introduced bullets and a body armor vest recovered from Herron’s SUV, this prompted another objection from the defendant.

“Certain people” had been targeted and “Mr. Herron was unjustly targeted,” Herron said of himself.

As jury instructions were being reviewed in the first trial, Herron adopted a new strategy.

“I object to the whole thing,” he told Walden. “I am withdrawing from this negotiation.”

“This is not a negotiation,” Walden said.

The second trial had Herron acting in a similar matter.

He offered objections to basic legal proceedings and was disruptive during the state’s closing arguments.

The jury for his second trial acted quickly, rendering a guilty on all counts verdict in less than an hour.

He still has another case in which he is charged with resisting arrest, being a felon in possession of a weapon and mail theft up to $1,000, according to court records.

(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 7/31/2024- 6AM)

Related